Okay, but not great

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April 30, 2014

By Rich47

from Margaretville, ny

"My biggest complaint is the flimsy quality of the brackets. It makes it very difficult to handle when the arches are together, and difficult to get base square Once up, it is difficult to get the ridge boards in place. If you are a total novice, the directions will confuse you.

The positive side is that it is a good option to cutting angles, and with some patience, it does make for a good looking shed when completed. I had used this same kit to build a shed almost 20 years ago, with the same complaints, but the shed is still solid and has served me well."

junk

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April 27, 2013

By jb99

from AZ

"These brackets are barely heavier than foil. I am building a 10x22 and other than the material list the directions are useless. These things are great hassle and take much longer than described. "Fast" should not be in the title. TIPS: use the scrap pieces to temporarily support the bracketed connections. Get a friend or two to help.If i could start over i definitely would not use these again. Spend your money on a better product. I recommend these to no one.I am a big fan of northern tool and their products but they really let me down here. I should have trusted the reviews before buying."

Not worth the money

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May 9, 2012

By RHDP

from Richmond, Va

"We got this mostly for the plans, cut list, buy list etc. But this is what we found out. First the brackets are weak metal and bend like butter. We had to go back and reinforce every one. It would have been easier to just cut the angles and build it the traditional way. Second the directions are horrible. Building a shed is a complex thing. The directions take up about half a page. That should tell you they are not good. The plans do NOT include a floor. They don't include a door. They don't include the necessary studs for the back, the front or either gambrel section. We would have never got this thing standing if one of my volunteers hadn't been a carpenter."

Fast Barn Framing Kit

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January 16, 2012

By Reademanweep

from NY,NY

"I had two of the kits. Not a One man project .

have agroup of friends over for the weekend then you might get it done. Be prepared to make adjustments and modifications. The end result is great but the amount of time spent would have me rethink my options next time around."

Waste of Money

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January 10, 2012

By millero

from Brandon, MS

"DO NOT waste your money. Kit if it worked, would have been great, however instructions are poor, material is thin/cheap. Put kit together per instructions, NONE of the arches were the same even though all the cuts were the same. Spent a weekend to find this out, and threw this kit away!"

DO NOT BUY !!!!!!!!!

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January 9, 2012

By EastTexas

from East Texas

"These brackets are extremely flimsey, less than 1/2 the thickness of of standard rafter ties! Takes two on each board;one can't even support the weight of a 30 inch board without bending in half! Cross supports fit sideways into slots on the brackets. The solts have "0" tolerance, NOT EVEN A MM of clearance. IF you can line up 16 brackets on 2 foot centers PERFECTLY you are one good carpenter! Do not use nails.Use screws; because you will take this thing arpart several times before you get it build. Get some plans and cut your own braces out of plywood. THIS IS WORTHLESS!!!"

Easy to use

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October 17, 2011

By EricsGarden

from Logan, UT

"I bought two of these kits to make a larger barn. I used it to store my lawn tractor and other outdoor equipment. The kit instructions were very explanatory and easy to understand. I used the same vinyl siding and roof shingles that I have on my house to give a cohesive look to the yard. I am very pleased with the results and have been asked many times who I had build the shed for me. When I tell people that I did it all myself with the help of the kit from Northern Tool they are amazed! The ease of use has made this a very successful and useful project for me."

Not as easy as they make out

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September 30, 2011

By JPinNEK

from NEK

"Purchased three kits for the 10x22. These brackets are flimsy. Now I can get past this, but the instructions with the product and on line are worthless. If I knew in advance that these brackets were going to be such a hassle, I would have just cut the angles myself. Northern Tools, I like your products but you should send a note to these guys and suggest that they issue better instructions and beef up the brackets. If they did this and made brackets that would accomadate a 2x6 then I think they would really have something, and so would you."

Fast Framing Kits

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July 11, 2011

By MHToter

from Coulee City, WA.

"These fast framing kits are fantastic, just follow the directions and have it up in a day even if you have never built anything before. Complete lumber list provided so you do not have to do any figuring. Save tons of money over buying a prebuilt shed or paying a carpenter to come build one for you."

3 Weekend Project

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June 13, 2011

By GeneralRaider

from Stockton, California

"I have some knowledge of building small sheds and such, so when I was in need of a larger one I figured why not give this s try. At first I wasn't sure what I got myself into when I ordered two kits and all the pieces came in two boxes. As long as you take inventory of what you have and lay it out you should be ok. So I followed the instructions as they have in the kit easy to understand and cut all the wood at one time that was easy. I mounted all the hardware to the wood and I was ready to piece it all together. My foundation was done and the floor. Once you start its hard to stop you will need two other people to help you. It all came together but not really lined up I had to bend and pry and hammer things to get things to work. But over all this is a great kit. Once you are done your family and friends will be impressed. You just earned your self 4 Man card points."

Beautiful but difficult build

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June 13, 2011

By thomastech

from Pittsfield, MA

"The shed has come out beautifully. However, the kit is not as easy as it is made out to be to build. The instructions leave you hanging in many locations and unless you savvy in the construction world, you may run into a brick wall. The brackets needed to be adjusted several times in order to get the angles correct and get things to line up on both sides of the roof.

I guess if you are prepared to sacrifice some sanity in order to save some money, I would recommend buying this product."

Just right...

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March 8, 2011

By RobCA

from California

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"I consider myself skilled enough but taking on building a shed from scratch was overwhelming. I purchased the kit to help me with all the angles so things would match up without to much math on my part. The instructions were a little lacking but with some studying I was able to figure it out easily. I bought two kits for a 8x14 shed and it was definitely a two person job. My wife helped and, with building a raised leveled floor, was a two weekend job including floor, roofing and paint.

As other reviewers stated the brackets are flimsy so be careful, don't try to raise the arches by yourself. Also, I found that once I connected the "tie collars" on the ground I had to take them off when I had the arches up to make the cross beams fit into the brackets. Without doing this things just didn't line up. Once assembled the shed is very sturdy. Have patience and take your time for a nice completed shed."

"We decided to build a storage shed in our small backyard. Under city zoning laws the maximum size without obtaining a building permit was 8X8 ft. We had no previous experience building, so we followed the instructions to the letter. We used two kits and the exact profile of the 8X20 ft drawings for the framing, but built out only 8 ft deep to conform to city code. We used deck screws throughout, which allowed us to easily make corrections by removing/replacing screws as required. The only dificulty was positioning the siding panels. We used T-111, 1/2 inch thick panels which we had to lift and brace until we could securely fasten them. Overall, a very satisfying first-time project!"

A Handy Kit to Use

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September 10, 2009

By KevinM

from El Cajon, CA

"I bought two of thes kits to build a shed in my back yard. My shed was going to be 9x11' due to space issues, so I had to modify the plans from 8x12' to do that. I also added a second deck inside at the 6' level to increase storage space and raised the roof several inches to accomodate this addition. I found the brackets to be pretty flimsy, but since I had purchased two kits, I had plenty of brackets to use. I doubles the brackets on the top three roof positions and that really firmed up the roof framing and made the "arches" easy to work with while installing the roof framework. I would recommend this kit for anyone who might need some help with the planning, although the plans are pretty simple and do not give a lot of detail. It is a great place to start and you can modify as needed to suit your needs. Sorry I do not have any images to share right now."

barn/storage kit

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August 5, 2009

By featherfather

from Northern California

"This kit is one of Northern Tools best value products! A quality result with minimal difficulty. I made mine 10 feet by 16 feet by adjusting the length of the rafters and acquiring additional brackets from the manufacturer. It is nearly impossible to not bend the metal brackets when turning the studs-trusses over to fasten them to the opposite side of the 2x4's. So I doubled the number of fasteners to provide strength. Also, I fastened a 12" 2x4 at a 45 degree angle in each upper corner of the door opening to provide lateral stability (sheer strength), then attached a metal roll-up door to eliminate the extra space required of a swinging door. These minor changes produced an extremely stable building, I highly recommend this flexible kit to one and all, very cost effective. Good luck!"